Tow Mater
Tow Mater, better known as simply Mater, is Lightning McQueen's best friend and the owner of the local junkyard in Radiator Springs. Bio Tow Mater has lived in Radiator Springs his whole life. He was born on January 12, 1957 in Radiator Springs, Carburetor County. In his younger days, he used to be a real handful around town, playing pranks on everyone, tippin' tractors, saying inappropriate things at the wrong time, but luckily he's matured a lot since then. Mater's a good ol' boy with a big kind heart (who he inherited from both his mom and dad) and the only tow truck in Radiator Springs. He runs Tow Mater Towing & Salvage and manages the local impound lot. Though a little rusty, he has the quickest towrope in Carburetor County and is always the first to lend a helping hand. Mater sees the bright side of any situation (meaning, he always has that sunny disposition). He's the heart and soul of Radiator Springs (meaning the most important guy there and he's the BIG deal), and he doesn't have a mean bolt in his chassis. Keep an eye on Mater, he tends to take things a little too literally. Mater is a friendly tow truck with buckteeth. He speaks with a thick Southern accent with a dash of hillbilly twang and frequently uses incorrect syntax. Mater is one of the first to befriend and support Lightning throughout his adventure in Radiator Springs. During the film, Mater shows Lightning how to do Tractor Tippin' and how to drive backwards without crashing by using rear-view mirrors, which Lightning uses to counter Chick Hicks' dirty racing in the final 2006 Piston Cup race. In the end, Lightning gives Mater an opportunity to fly in a Dinoco helicopter like he always wanted, saying to Sally that Mater is his new best friend. Mater is also capable of racing, as well as being the (self-proclaimed) world's best backwards driver. He attributes his skill to his rear-view mirrors and his own philosophy: "Don't need to know where I'm going, just need to know where I've been." In Cars: The Video Game, he first appears as the announcer in the cut-scene for Radiator Springs Grand Prix. Then he was in the cut-scene for Tractor Tippin', where Lightning wakes him up and asks him to go Tractor Tippin', but Mater asks why he would want to go, because he thought Lightning was scared of Frank. But they went, anyway. In the actual game, you play as him. Later in Chapter 3, Lightning will come to Mater's Junkyard to ask Mater if he can do the backwards driving lesson. Mater says he could do it now. Mater teaches Lightning some rules, like turn your rear tires like they were your front ones. Also, turn right to go left. To make sure he gets it, Mater sets up a game where Lightning must follow him around a course and drive backwards when he does. After the practice, Mater says he did good, and even tries to spell his last name backwards by calling him "Mr. Gintil." However, that spells "Litnig," not "Lightning," when it's spelled forward. Later, Mater was in front of the Rustbucket Stadium banging himself into a wall to get ready for his big race. Lightning drives up, wondering what was happening. Mater tells Lightning what's happening. Then, Tommy Joe drives up and bangs into Lightning, which was his way of saying, "Hi." Mater asks Lightning to help them for the race, but Lightning decides to sit this one out. After the race Mater earns a boost tank as a prize, and he gives it to Lightning. In Chapter 5, the final chapter, Mater and Darrell Cartrip were the announcers for the Radiator Springs Grand Prix. He also goes with Lightning on the road trip. In Mater and the Ghostlight, Mater is now the main character of his own short. One night, Mater plays a series of scary pranks on his friends until a blue light begins to haunt him. Mater's final prank is his most successful: Lightning sees a tow hook hanging from behind a stack of cans and, assuming that Mater is hiding behind it, approaches to foil the prank. Mater then jumps off of the roof of Flo's café, screaming behind Lightning, who then is startled and knocks over the pile of cans, revealing that the hook was actually from the sign of Mater's place of business, thus a decoy. Everyone starts to laugh at Lightning for falling for such a trick, and Mater says that Lightning looks like he's seen "the Ghostlight". Sheriff tells Mater not to mock the Ghostlight, a character of urban legend amongst the cars. The Ghostlight is a glowing orb of blue, translucent light that haunts Radiator Springs, and hates nothing more than the sound of clanking metal -- a sound frequently made by Mater's rickety shell. Sheriff continues to tell the story of a young couple lost in the area, whose only remains were "two out-of-state license plates". He then concludes with an overly cheerful "Well, g'night!". The population of Radiator Springs then leaves within seconds, leaving a very nervous Mater all by himself in the dark. As he reaches his garage, he is first frightened by a "lightning bug" (a tiny flying Volkswagen Beetle with bright headlights). As he relaxes, a bright blue glow suddenly appears behind Mater and he goes into a blind panic, driving around in a frenzy, first going along the main road, then going through the tractor field (past Frank), then around Willy's Butte, and doing a lock-strafe move after that, until he is exhausted. However, the Ghostlight was revealed to be a glowing blue lantern to Mater's towing cable hung up by Lightning and Guido. The short ends with Mater finally collapsing on the road with the rest of the folks surrounding him, revealing the joke to him as retribution for the pranks he did to them. The credits roll and after them, there is a closing shot where the frightened Mater finds he has a huge construction vehicle behind him, snarling and carrying the license plate "Banshee." However, Mater doesn't realize who it is and warns it of the Screamin' Banshee before driving off, bidding the Banshee good night. In Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales, Mater is now the protagonist in his own TV series. Each tale begins with Mater telling a story of something he has done in the past. In the story, Mater finds himself in an inescapable predicament. When Lightning questions Mater over whether the events in the story actually occurred, Mater responds, "Don't you remember? You was there, too!", and continues the story including Lightning's sudden participation. The cartoons end with Mater leaving the scene, often followed by characters or references to the story that was being told, putting up a possibility that the story might be real. Mater returns as the protagonist in Cars 2. In the now popular tourist destination of Radiator Springs, the rusty old tow truck Mater has a number of roles, including proprietor of Tow Mater Towing and Salvage, grand storyteller and the heart and soul of the town. But Mater’s favorite title is best friend to Lightning McQueen. Mater values each and every dent he’s earned on his escapades with Lightning over the years, and anxiously awaits further fun with his friend when Lightning returns with his latest Piston Cup. Cheerful, honest and loyal to a fault, Mater rushes to his best friend’s defense, which ultimately lands the off-duty Lightning in an international racing exhibition: the World Grand Prix. When Lightning invites Mater to come along as a member of his pit crew, Mater leaves Carburetor County for the first time ever. Not long after their arrival in Tokyo, Mater learns that the world outside of Radiator Springs is decidedly different and its newfangled ways may take some getting used to. But when he’s mistaken for an American secret agent, he falls into an intriguing adventure of his own. Caught between supporting his best friend on a globe-trotting racing competition and his new role in international espionage, Mater ends up in an explosive chase through the streets of Tokyo and Europe alongside a team of British spies and international bad guys. His girlfriend and lover is Holley Shiftwell and he loves her very dearly. Just before the end of the film, The Queen knights Mater for his bravery and for outsmarting the villain and catching him. In Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure, Mater appears in the first Cars level, played by one of the kids in the park. He tells the player that Lightning McQueen is looking for a new car in his racing team, which is the player. But first, the player has got to try out, so he/she has to pass the Tow Mater Fancy Drivin' Challenge. Mater says that he designed the course specially so that only the best drivers in the whole world can finish it. McQueen says that he's got great confidence, and that if Mater says you're good enough, that's good enough for him, before Mater says that it's what the Tow Mater Fancy Drivin' Challenge says, not himself. The player follows Mater through the course before in the ending cutscene, Mater says to the player that he/she is awesome, before McQueen says that Mater's right and that was some of the best driving he's ever seen, before saying to the player that they're going to be a great addition to his team. Holley Shiftwell then appears saying that was a impressive display. Mater then introduces the player to Holley, explaining that she's his girlfriend. Holley then says that their friend, the player, would make an excellent racer, but an even better spy, and that they have a mission that is perfect for the player's speed and talents, before saying that is if McQueen doesn't mind waiting, before Mater says that McQueen can wait, before he asks McQueen if he will. Mater is heard in the other levels when the player unlocks a new goal that has the player spinning near a semicircle of coins to collect all of them, which he reminds the player to get ready to spin. Cars Land Mater plays a big role in Cars Land. He owns his own ride called Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. In that ride, Mater will be singing songs to keep the tractors dancing. When the tractors are dancing, they will pull their carts, which have riders in them. Mater also appears in Radiator Springs Racers. First, Sheriff will call Mater to take you to the race. Mater does that, but takes you tractor tipping. After you go tractor tipping, You will wake up Frank, who will chase you and Mater away. Then that's when you arrive in Radiator Springs. After the race, Mater will say that you did a good job. He might say that "you beat McQueen!" McQueen replies to Mater by saying that he wasn't racing. However, Mater says that you can't win a race if you don't race in it. Some other phrases are used. Mater also is seen driving around Radiator Springs, where you can meet him and talk to him. Personality Mater is extremely friendly, silly, very smart, clumsy/accident prone and goofy. Mater is cheerful, honest and loyal to a fault, often hard to upset. He can be considered pretty silly or air-headed, but nonetheless has good ideas every now and then and is smart in his own way (but often forgets about things because he lives completely in the present moment). It can also be concluded that he acts a lot like a canine or a young puppy, including his personality traits and his behavior throughout the franchise. He wags his tail when he's happy and excited. He also cowers low like a dog in fright. In a Cars Production note online, John Lasseter said that, "Mater is like your faithful dog who is there to greet you when you get home all the time no matter what kind of day you've had." It is also noted in a Cars 2 interview by actor Owen Wilson that "Mater is like one of those overgrown puppies that you love so much, and that has such pure, true unconditional loyalty and love. But he kind of drives you crazy sometimes, too. His heart is in the right place, but when trying to help, he just creates more chaos/trouble." He resembles Goofy the dog on Micky Mouse. He acts like Goofy and talks somewhat like Goofy considering that they both are rednecks/hillbillies and they both are goofy. The rusty old truck works in a great manner providing relief against the shiny, over-the-top, newly painted Lightning McQueen. What makes Mater special is his unwavering loyalty and love for McQueen. The character truly portrays an ideal friend, a simple guy and a heart of gold. Mater’s qualities are; is patient, overlooks faults/flaws, consistently shows pure unconditional love, never holds grudges, doesn’t look on outward appearances, waits faithfully for his friends to return home (especially McQueen), is upset when his friends leave or have other plans without him, follows his friends all around and faithfully sticks close by their side, is a consistent servant (wants to genuinely serve others), his life is centered on yours, senses when someone needs encouragement, then gives it, forgives everyone very quickly, rarely complains, never threatens to leave you and is constantly fiercely loyal (even to death), is completely trusting, has a sense of extreme fun and always wants to play (has a sense for adventure), loves to eat, is highly spiritual, always there to protect you, stick up for you, puts own life in danger to save the ones he loves even he doesn’t make it out alive, is very obedient, is positive on life, is always true to himself and is not someone who he’s not, is enthusiastic about life and has joy in the simple pleasures of life, stays simple, is always sincere and honest, exhibits a child like faith and sees the world through the eyes of a young innocent puppy, is purely innocent and his heart is clean and pure, is calm and peaceful but he’s also hyper active too, has no sense of time and lives every day in the very moment, has no worry in his life and doesn’t worry (don’t worry, be happy and calm), is very friendly and wags tail when his friends come home (he sometimes nearly loses his mind when McQueen returns home) and is completely non judgmental. He exhibits a Christ-like love more than any other cars I know. Livery Mater was born with a coat of baby blue mixed with light green all over his body, but it can be concluded that he never got a re-paint. Now, Mater is covered in rust and the only visible paint is on his sides and on his rear. He also has a bumper with a yellow and black "caution" logo. Model Mater's make model/breed is a Haunted Hook/Haulital Hook'em (species, Baby Blue the world's smallest Haunted Hook breed), and a mix of a 1951 International Harvester L-170 "Boom Truck", One Ton Wrecker combined with some pieces of a Chevrolet 3800 and an old 1957 Dodge Truck. He has a V-8 engine with a two-barrel carburetor. He can go zero to sixty in ten seconds, with a top speed of 90 miles per hour, with 200 horsepower. In most of his appearances, his license plate is "A113", a recurring joke in Pixar films. In Rescue Squad Mater, his license plate is "RSQ M8R". In Mater the Greater, his license plate is "M8R GR8R". When he is disguised as Ivan, his license plate is "PN 217-63". Occupation Mater owns the local towing and salvage company in Radiator Springs. He also manages the municipal impound and the prisoners in it. Weaponry And Gadgets In Cars 2, since Mater plays a role in a spy affair, he is added several gadgets, however not as spectacular as those of Finn McMissile or Holley Shiftwell. Since Mater is not familiar with his gadgets, they are activated by voice commands. *'Deployable Gatling guns': One on each side. Deployed when Mater uses his catchphrase "Dad-gum." *'Twin rockets': Give Mater a powerful boost, and can serve to direct himself when gliding. *'Deployable paraglider': Of an orange color, it permits Mater to glide in the air. When used with his rockets, this gadget permits Mater to direct himself more precisely. *'Deployable holographic disguise emitter': Disguised as the flashing light on the roof. The device instantaneously makes a disguise all around Mater, and may even simulate supplementary volume or hide some. At the end of Cars 2, it appears Mater was removed of all his gadgets. However, he obtained the favor to keep his twin rockets. Appearances Feature Films *Cars *Cars 2 Short Films *Mater and the Ghostlight *Rescue Squad Mater *Mater the Greater *El Materdor *Tokyo Mater *Unidentified Flying Mater *Heavy Metal Mater *Monster Truck Mater *Moon Mater *Mater Private Eye *Air Mater *Time Travel Mater *Hiccups *Spinning Video Games *Cars: The Video Game *Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures *Cars: Mater-National Championship *Cars: Race-O-Rama *The World of Cars Online *Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales *Cars 2: The Video Game *Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure *Disney Infinity Comics *Air-Tow *A Torero Trick *The Case of the Missing Muffler *Francesco's New Look! *Mystery in the Desert *A New Champion *The Case of the Tire King *The Lightning McQueen Tour *Family Secret *Emerging from the Ground Attractions *Cars Land *Mater's Junkyard Jamboree *Radiator Springs Racers *Cars Quatre Roues Rallye Merchandising *1:55 Scale Diecast *Micro Drifters *Mini Adventures *Action Agents *LEGO *LEGO Duplo *MEGA BLOKS *Tomica *Shake 'N' Go *Geotrax *Wood Trivia *Mater is 56 years old, as seen on his Cars 2 passport. But he has a puppy like nature no matter how old he is. *One thing to note throughout the series is that Mater's characteristics are very similar to that of a canine more specifically a Golden Retriever puppy (doesn't he act and look like one?). He is actually a carified dog. 50% dog and 50% car/tow truck because the tractors are carified cows (they are 50% cows and 50% barn field country tractors). *Like all the other cars and carified creatures, and regular creatures in the Cars World, Tow Mater had parents that he was born from but they died tragically somehow when he was 3 years old. *Mater is a mammal/car hybrid just like the other cars are mammals. *If you listen to the way Mater talks real closely, you can see that he talks with a lisp to his voice (as he talks, the air kind of whistles through the gap between his buck teeth) and he doesn't say 'this' he usually says, "dis, dat" and among others along with z at the end of a word like "carz" instead of saying cars. *It is noted by John Lasseter that Mater is way too innocent, pure and kind so he can never hurt or harm any soul. He can't even kill a bumblebee without mourning for its life. *He loves fart jokes, which is why he loves Tractor Tippin'. *As said by Lightning McQueen in Cars 2, Mater is defiantly prone to exaggerate a bit about things he's overheard his friends talk about what they like. *His most favorite ice cream is pistachio ice cream. *Also, it is noted in the Cars books like Mater's Birthday Surprise and in Mater and the Easter Buggy that his favorite colors are mostly, blue, green, orange, yellow and most defiantly pink and purple (more of the lighter softer colors). He also likes the color red. *Another thing to note is that since Mater has a baby or puppy like nature always, he doesn't care about material things like money. All he craves and needs is love, attention, food and friendship in others. *Tow Mater has a form of Autism called Aspergers Syndrome. Because he takes things too literally, is very friendly, has social problems, is an accident prone, acts way younger than his adult age (he acts like a 2 to a 2 and a half year old) and etc. He also has ADHD. *He is in love with Holley Shiftwell. *In Cars Mater said that he used to be a pretty good whistler but he retired and rarely does it now (although we saw him whistle in Cars 2) because he sometimes gets fluid buildup in his engine block. He used to play for some radio song or a band or country song called "Giddy-up Oom Papa Mow Mow." *Some Christian people compare Mater to Jesus Christ because he keeps his dents like Jesus did, Jesus and Mater are both really from Heaven above (but Mater is a Guardian Angel, Jesus is God), they both love purely and unconditionally, are extremely kind and truthful and loyal, live in the moment and while Jesus sacrificed his life and died to save us from our sins (he laid down his life for his enemies and friends and paid the ultimate price), Mater laid down his life for his best friend Lightning McQueen. It even says in the bible by Jesus, “There is no greater love than this: that a person would lay down his life for the sake of his friends." That's what Jesus and Mater did. Also both Jesus and Mater are the Ultimate friend that you can ever have and they won't break their promise and they will continue to love unconditionally. *Mater, along with other countless versions of him, have been released in the Cars, Cars Toons and Cars 2 Diecast Lines. *Mater and Ivan are the only characters in Cars 2 that are tow trucks. *During the credit roll of Cars 2, Mater's passport scrolls past. His birth date is listed on it. It turns out to be the same as John Lasseter’s: January 12, 1957. *During the last section of the World Grand Prix, Mater is described as the World's greatest backwards driver. *In the credits it is shown that he is knighted on Tuesday, July 15, 2011. However, 15 July in 2011 was not on Tuesday in real life, it was Friday. *Head of story and co-director Joe Ranft got the inspiration of Mater after seeing an old abandoned rusty tow truck during a research trip to Route 66. The character was named after and partly based on Douglas "Mater" Keever, a racing fan the Pixar team met during their research trips, and also draws inspiration from several other people the team encountered. *His name may have been inspired by voice actor Douglas Keever's nickname. *In Spanish and Portuguese, he is called "Mate". *In French, he is called "Martin". *In Polish, Mater is called "Złomek" (z-wom-eh-k). *In German, he is called "Hook". *In Dutch, he is called "Takel". *In Italian, he is called "Cricchetto". *In Swedish, he is called "Bärgarn". *One of his catchphrases is "Git-R-Done!", his actor, Larry the Cable Guy's signature phrase. *In the subtitles for the audio commentary on Cars 2, John Lasseter describes Mater with "two miniguns" but the subtitles say "two many guns". Quotes From Cars From Cars 2 From Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales Gallery Materworldofcarsonline.jpg|Mater in the World of Cars Online MaterWasabi.jpg MaterHolleyFinn.jpg|With Holley Shiftwell and Finn McMissile Mater national 10.jpg|''Monster Mater'' Rescue-squad-mater.jpg PropsMcGeeMaterTheGreater.png MatertheGreaterMater.jpg|''Mater the Greater'' MaterUnidentifiedFlyingMater.png ElMaterdor2.png|Mater as seen in a comic Tokyo materdor.png Rescue me.jpg TokyoMater.png Teki&PakiTokyoMater.png|Mater with Teki and Paki TractorsUnidentifiedFlyingMater.png|Mater and Mator going Tractor Tipping TVShowHostMoonMater.png ElMaterdor.png LightningUnidentifiedFlyingMater.png|Mater, Mator and Lightning McQueen MaterHeavyMetalMater.jpg RastaCarianMonsterTruckMater.jpg|The Tormentor RefereeMonsterTruckMater.png MaterMonsterTruckMater.png Moon mater mia tia.png MaterMoonMater.jpg MaterPrivateEye.jpg|''Mater Private Eye'' Travelerstimetravelmater.png LightningMcQueenTimeTravelMater.jpg|''Time Travel Mater'' TimeTravelMater1.jpg|''Time Travel Mater'' MaterCarsGame.jpg MaterRSA.jpg Race o rama 6.jpg Race o rama 3.jpg Cars2-disneyscreencaps com-1212.jpg|''Cars 2'' 330px-Cars2 FinnMaterLightningMcQueen.jpg|Mater seen in Tokyo 830px-OttoBonnCars2.png TopperDeckingtonIIICars2.png zebra mater.jpg|Mater and Misha in the traffic safety commercial AirTow6.JPG|Mater with his hook attached to Barney Stormin Hiccups10.png Hiccups7.png Hiccups8.png RCAE78-29.png RC2E78-23.png R6OP78-6.png R6OP78-135.png 30-08-2012 02.jpg 30-08-2012 64.jpg 30-08-2012 131.jpg 30-08-2012 133.jpg 30-08-2012 95.jpg 30-08-2012 104.jpg 00000511 1.png 00001c5c 1.png DisneyInfinity21.jpg DisneyInfinity19.jpg DisneyInfinity18.jpg DisneyInfinity15.jpg DisneyInfinity14.jpg DisneyInfinity12.jpg DisneyInfinity11.jpg Disney Infinity Mater figure.jpg|Disney Infinity figure 1000px-Mater '95' number on side.png|Cars 2 promo TokyoMaterChaseDisneyStore.jpg|Chase Metallic Disney Store Category:Characters Category:Cars 2 Characters Category:Cars Toons Characters Category:Video Games Characters Category:Trucks, buses Category:Cars Characters Category:Rusty cars Category:Local Services Category:Rustbucket Racers Category:Lightning McQueen Category:WGP Pit Crews Category:Radiator Springs Occupants Category:Spies